This is War
by ashlieeexoxo
Summary: Hermione Granger sends herself back in time to 1974 to bring down the Death Eaters from the inside. "The plan was to be simple, go back in time and save as many people as she could, in whatever way she could, and stop Voldemort. She had no qualms about leaving the present. It was shite. The past offered her so much more."
1. Chapter 1

This is War

It's the moment of truth, and the moment to lie,  
The moment to live and the moment to die,  
The moment to fight, the moment to fight,  
To fight, to fight, to fight!

The fire flickered in the cold drawing room of 12 Grimmauld place. Various members of the Order of the Phoenix sat in small groups, whispering in hushed tones about the meeting that had just let out. After the heavy losses sustained in the Battle of Hogwarts, many members had taken to hiding or working underground for the cause, in order to preserve the small numbers they still had, which limited the time they could spend talking with each other. The few hours after a meeting were always used as a way to catch up with one another, no matter how bleak the conversation.

Hermione Granger watched Andromeda Tonks move her grandson from one hip to the other, as she talked to Minerva McGonagall about the strange man she had seen on her street three times in the last week.

"I know he can't actually see the house when it's under the Fidelius Charm Minerva, but I've just been so worried. I mean, I know Teddy is a target. He's Harry Potter's godson for goodness sake! But I didn't think they would sit outside all day. It makes me afraid to even receive my floo deliveries. What if somehow Aberforth gets compromised, and they get him to tell where he delivers the food?"

Minerva patted her hand. "It is worrisome. I know that. But you have to remember that we have put as much protection around your house as we can. Potter himself is your secret keeper. He would never betray you. And thanks to Hermione, if anyone questions Aberforth, they will trigger the memory loss spell she developed to prevent anyone from getting any information out of captured members of the Order."

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. They put too much trust in that spell. It could fail at any time, and if the interrogator used a different line of questioning than she accounted for, it wouldn't activate at all. They didn't really listen when she told them that she needed more time for testing though, so if it did fail at least she could defer blame to some other dunderhead.

A small smirk slipped out before she could stop it. More and more the other members had started comparing her to Severus. She was even starting to think like him. A small click behind her caused most of the room to turn and watch as Harry Potter walked in the room and flop down next to her on the couch. She silently handed him the cup of tea she had saved for him, and used her wand to warm it to his preferred temperature.

"How was the meeting with Kingsley?" Hermione asked.

"Oh you know, same old same old. 'Have you figured out a way to kill Voldemort, are you sure Dumbledore didn't give you a special secret you've kept hidden for the past five years, do you think Voldemort made another Horcrux?' Honestly it's exhausting."

Hermione nodded slowly. She looked around quickly and saw that most people had gone back to their conversations, but Bill Weasley and his brother were still listening to them.

"I think that maybe they just want to give it a fresh look every now and then. One day you might remember something inconsequential to you, that could have a huge impact on the war front." she stifled a fake yawn. "But I am beyond tired. I was up all last night working on potions for the infirmary. Would you mind terribly if I call it early tonight?" she asked.

Harry's eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly schooled his features and said in a calm voice, "Of course not 'Mione. You go on up. I'll probably turn in after this lot leaves."

She got up, and made her rounds to say goodnight, and then headed up the stairs quickly. It was good on Harry to remember the code she had come up with to portray that they needed to talk privately later, without anyone else finding out. The last thing they needed was a nosy Weasley questioning what she was working on.

Hermione opened the door to her room, and felt the wash of familiar spells wash over her. Her room was secured with every safety and privacy spell she had learned, and some she had made up on her own. The door behind her shut with a final click. No one but Harry would be able to get in after that.

She walked over to her desk and pulled out a small black journal and a pen. Might as well go over the measurements again before Harry came up.

The door opening behind her caused her to drop the pen she was holding, and grab her wand, turning around so quickly that she knocked the inkwell next to her hand over.

"Damn it Harry, give me some warning next time." she said, silently cleaning up the ink mess off of her desk.

"Sorry 'Mione. I thought you would be expecting me."

"I was, I just got caught up in this." she waved a hand to her desk and the small book on it.

"So why did you need to talk?" Harry asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

Hermione took a deep breath and sat down next to him. "I'm done. With the project. I've completely figured the parameters out, created the proper incantation, backstory and packed. I just, I didn't want to just leave you know?"

"You-you figured it out? I, I'll be honest Hermione I didn't think you would be able to." Harry quickly blushed. "Not because your not smart or anything, but because it sounds so impossible!"

Hermione glared at him. "Well I did."

Harry grabbed her hands. "Are you sure you don't want me to do this?"

She shook her head. "It really must be me Harry. If I fail, the Order needs you here more than they need me."

Harry nodded. "I know, I just. You won't be able to come back. This is irreversible. If something goes wrong, we'll still be hiding out with the Order in shambles. But this time you won't be here."

Hermione smiled through the tears slipping down her cheeks. "But Harry, if this goes right, I'll be able to see you grow up with your parents. Free from a sick prophecy, free from Voldemort, free from everything terrible that you've had to endure in your life."

"Just promise me that when you finish this, you find your own happiness." Harry said.

"I promise you, I will."

"When will you leave?" Harry asked, tears beginning to well in his eyes.

"Tonight. I will travel to 1974 tonight. I will attempt to end the first wizarding war before Voldemort gains too much power. I will save your parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, and R-Ron and anyone else I can. I promise I will do everything in my power to be successful."

Harry nodded and pulled Hermione into his arms. "Well I guess I should go then. I love you Hermione. You're the sister I never got the chance to have. Just remember that. I love you. I'm sure if Ron were here he'd give tell you that you're bloody brilliant, and that he loves you too." He kissed the top of her head and stood up. Halfway to the door he turned and smiled. "If anyone can save the world, its you Hermione Granger". He gave her one last forlorn glance before walking through the door, praying that she would be able to succeed.

Hermione waited until she was sure everyone was asleep that night, before getting and pulling on the robes she'd purchased to make the trip in. The idea to send herself back in time had started as a desperate sort of joke between her and Harry right after Ron's funeral.

"_Don't you wish there was a way to go back in time and save him?" Harry had asked her, sitting on her bed in Grimmauld. "A way to stop him from dying?"_

"_Why stop with Ron," shed replied, a sad smile on her face, "Why not just go back and smother baby Tom Riddle in his cot?"_

_Harry chuckled. "I dont think I'm quite up for infanticide, but i'll keep it in mind"._

It had only taken Hermione three hours that night to come up with the basics of her plan. When sleep eluded her, and it eluded her a lot these days, she plotted. Sometimes she plotted new spells, or modifications to potions. Sometimes she plotted how to get her best friend Harry to notice Ginny, or how she would leave the wizarding world forever if she could only bear to actually follow through.

The plan was to be simple, go back in time and save as many people as she could, in whatever way she could, and stop Voldemort. She had no qualms about leaving the present. It was shite. The past offered her so much more.

She grabbed her beaded bag and her wand. In a flick of her wrist, and a whispered incantation, Hermione Granger hurtled herself into the past.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

She landed, rather roughly, at the small cabin she'd discovered in her travels around Britain. In the countryside she knew she'd be far enough away from prying eyes, both muggle and magical, to have a quiet home base.

After casting her usual wards, Hermione walked in. It was small, but less dilapidated than it had been when she visited it in the future. The records of ownership she had found stated that it had been uninhabited for a few years already, and would remain that way for a few more. It was on her to do list to purchase the property so she wouldn't be a squatter for very long.

She pulled out several pouches of ingredients, a potion bottle, a dagger, and a small portrait.

It had been Harry's idea to have her impersonate a person from a wizarding family.

"_Just imagine the extra resources you would have, the preexisting contacts, the funds" he whispered to her while they hid in her room. He looked at the wall. "Plus, it would be a chance at having some sort of family while your there."_

Hermione looked at the potion shed set on the table and grimaced. Before she could change her mind, she chugged it down. De-aging potions tasted awful, but the physical pains involved in losing almost 10 years of her life was worse. Her skin bubbled and her bones retracted.

She pulled a mirror out of the bag and frowned at the face looking back at her. She wished she could have stayed her correct age, but for her story to be plausible she had to be 14.

Next she arranged the ingredients neatly in a line and placed the candle over the portrait. Using her wand, she lit the candle, and then burned each of the ingredients in its flames. Lastly, she took the dagger, and cutting her palm, allowed a steady drip of blood to fall into the flame. She chanted the incantation she had found in the small Russian book, and gasped as the light of the flame seemed to grow brighter and brighter, until it suddenly extinguished itself. Looking in the mirror again she saw that the only change the blood magic had wrought upon her appearance was a slight darkening of her hair.

"Well it's not like you expected to become a pureblood hottie just for doing a little blood magic Hermione" she muttered to herself, putting all the materials away in her bag.

Finished with her preparations, Hermione looked around to be sure she didn't leave anything behind, securely closed her mind behind her occlumancy shields, and stepped outside to apparate to Rosier Manor.

Looking back, Hermione had not expected this to go so easily. She knocked on the door, and asked the answering elf if she could please see the master of the home. She put a slight sniffle into her request, and the elf bade her to enter a small parlor off the side of the entry.

It wasn't long before she was joined by Edward Rosier. He swept into the room with a commanding presence, Hermione quickly deduced he was a man used to getting his way.

He stood in front of her and bowed.

"Edward Rosier. I am the master of this house." he intoned solemnly.

"Hello, I am, well," she took a fortifying breath, "I'm Hermione, and I believe I'm your daughter."

Edward stared at her, but before she could say another word, a gasp from the doorway caused her to look over. There stood a boy about the same age as she, maybe a little older, wearing the same style of robes as his father. His dark hair hid some of the pain in his eyes, but she could still see it plainly. It couldn't be easy for a son to hear his father might have a secret.

"What is this father?" He demanded.

Edward glared at him, before turning back to Hermione. "I'd like to know the same. You better start talking girl."

Hermione sat down, and straightened her skirts before beginning the tale she and Harry had created.

"I've always lived alone with my mother. We had a small cottage where we lived and worked and played. When I was younger, I asked my mother why I didn't have a father like in the stories we read. She told me that I did have one, but that he couldn't be with us. She said it made her sad to think about, and so I never brought it up again. It wasn't until this summer when I was cleaning and organizing her belongings that I discovered why it made her so sad." Hermione pulled the small portrait out of her bag and handed it to Edward. "She asked me to not seek you out, but I was far more curious than she thought I'd be."

Finished with her speech, she looked up at Edward. He was staring transfixed at the portrait she had given him. "Anna," he whispered hoarsely, "is she- is she dead?"

Hermione nodded, allowing a tear to escape her eye. "She was ill, I'm not sure with what. She wouldn't go to a healer and we couldn't figure out what it was on our own. She said we couldn't be seen".

It had not taken much for Hermione to get Augusta Longbottom and Andromeda Tonks to start gossiping about the best love scandals they'd ever heard of. She knew she would need to find the perfect story to insinuate herself into, and when they told her about Edward Rosier and Anna Prewett she knew she had it. Anna, she knew from Aunt Muriel, had run to France to lick her wounds after Edward refused to break his betrothal for her, and had a child while there. She was forgotten from the family for her indiscretions, and Hermione knew that when Anna had died of her illness in the last week, no one would know that her real daughter had died too. The village records showed both women were buried in the cemetery of a nearby church, and the expenses for the funeral had come from the church itself, indicating that no one had claimed the bodies. The identity Hermione had taken should hold up to scrutiny. At least, she hoped.

Edward nodded, seeming to come to his senses. "What makes you think your mine and not some other wizards bastard?" He demanded, all evidence of sadness gone from his visage.

She flinched. "Well, I've read the letters you sent my mother, she never had anyone else. Plus, my last name is Rosier." Hermione said.

He snorted. "Well see about that. Tessie," he called, and a small elf appeared before him. "Bring me the family record book from my office". The elf nodded and popped away, before popping back with a large black book in her hands.

Edward opened to a blank page and held out his hand for hers. Using his wand to prick her finger, a small drop of blood oozed out onto the page. It immediately began to swirl the red darkening into a black proclaiming her to be Hermione Rosier, his daughter.

Hermione tried not to breath an audible sigh of relief at the blood magic having worked, but was eternally grateful for having found that ritual, which used to be used for magical adoptions before it was lost to antiquity.

"What do you need" the older man asked.

Hermione frowned. "I don't need anything, I can get by on my own, I just. I need to go to school, mother was teaching me at home but now." She broke off. "The schools must be contacted by a parent and I have none to do that."

Edward looked at her closely. "You don't need anything but parental permission for school? Where are you living?"

"In the cottage."

"Alone?" Evan spoke for the first time. Hermione looked over at the boy she knew would take the the dark mark in a few years and was surprised to see a flicker of worry in his eyes.

"Yes. It's my home. I have nowhere else". She replied.

"Nonsense." Edward cut across. "I may not have known about you before, but now that I do, you are family and Rosiers live in Rosier Manor." His tone allowed for no argument.

Hermione nodded slowly, "I suppose if its not any trouble."

Edward looked up at her, "I won't pretend that this isn't a shock, or that I'm not angry your mother would keep you from me for so long. But I wish to get to know you, and be your father". Hermione could only nod.

"Tessie" he called again, "show Hermione to the blue room". He looked at Hermione. "We can discuss this more in the morning."

The elf nodded and took Hermione's hand, popping her into a room decorated in beautiful muted blues.

Tessie let go of her hand. "It will be so nice to have a young miss in the house again" she sniffled, before popping out of the room.

Hermione sat down on the large bed and stared at the carpet. She was a Rosier. Her father was a Death Eater. Her brother would be in a few years. And she was now in the perfect position to bring down Voldemort from the inside. It really should not have been so easy.

The next morning dawned bright. Hermione woke up to the curtains being opened by another small elf. Shaking off the last dregs of the dreamless sleep she'd taken the night before to avoid nightmares, she smiled at the elf.

"Good morning" she said.

The elf looked at her, and then quickly looked down. "Good morning young miss. My name is Bea, Tessie says I'm to be your personal elf".

Hermione struggled to tamp down the internal horror of owning her own personal elf. "And are you happy to be my elf?" she squeaked out.

Bea looked at her oddly, and nodded. "Yes miss. I was in the kitchens before." The elf snapped her fingers and a day dress from Hermione's bag floated towards her, quickly followed by a pair of shoes.

Hermione rose from her bed and went to the bathroom. She showered and dressed quickly, pausing momentarily to marvel at the beautiful room that she would call home for the foreseeable future. The Rosiers may not be as wealthy as the Malfoys, but they certainly had funds aplenty.

The small elf popped back in the room once she had dressed, and indicated to the chair in front of the dressing table.

"Sit Miss, and I will fix your hair before breakfast", the elf said.

Hermione sat down and allowed the elf to manipulate her hair. She soon had her curls tamed and pulled back from her face in a loose style. While she worked, Hermione decided to ask her a question.

"Bea, is my family kind to you?" She asked, "Please be honest."

The elf gave her another funny look and was silent for a moment. "Masters is not cruel," she said finally.

Hermione exhaled loudly. "That's a relief. I don't think I could stay in a house with abused elves." She smiled at Bea, "Well, I suppose this is as good as I'm going to get. Let's get to breakfast."

Bea took her hand and popped her down to the breakfast room where she found her father already sitting, reading the paper.

He looked up when they popped in, a gestured to the sideboard. "Please, help yourself. We have breakfast at 7 everyday here in the breakfast room. Lunch is to be taken as you please, as I am usually not home. Evan takes his in his room I believe. Dinner is in the dining room at 6 every night. I don't know what kind of education you had in proper manners and decorum in that backwater, but we dress for dinner and observe the proprieties, regardless of whether we have guests." Finished with his short speech, he turned back to his paper.

Hermione sat with her plate, eternally grateful that she had taken the time to read every etiquette book she could find. Hopefully it would be enough to not embarrass herself.

Her father dropped his paper again and stared at her. Slightly unnerved, she looked down at her pastry, and picked at it with her fork. She looked up again and saw he was still watching.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I will be writing Hogwarts about you beginning the year in the fall. I will also have Bea send your measurements to a robe maker so you are outfitted with something that doesn't expose so much of your body". At this she blushed and looked down. Her dress covered her knees, and her shoulders, and the neckline was quite demure. She supposed to someone used to seeing witches in full robes, this would be quite risque. "We'll have to work quickly, but we should be able to dress and educate you so that you will not embarrass the family when you begin school."

At this she turned red, astounded that he believed she was stupid. "I assure you, I am quite well educated." she spit out. "My mother didn't have me lounging about everyday. She taught me everything necessary and then some."

Rising quickly to leave, she was stopped halfway to the door by Evan walking in. He looked at her red face, and his father, before smirking. "And here I worried I wouldn't be the favorite because I'm the boy" he said. "Fighting over your first breakfast doesn't seem to be a good way to get to know one another." He made a plate and sat down. "Come Hermione, finish this pastry and we can decide how we'll spend our day. I'm sure Father has some important work to do down at the Ministry that he can't cancel, so we'll entertain ourselves."

Edward nodded. "I do, and you are right Evan. I apologize Hermione. I should not have assumed. Anna was quite intelligent, of course she would have educated you."

Hermione didn't say anything, but returned to her seat. Edward sighed. "This is an adjustment for us all. There are pressures and expectations upon our family Hermione, that we all must adhere to. I apologize for assuming you were uneducated, but I will not apologize for my standards. We are a respected family, and I expect the children of that family, both of them, to adhere to those standards."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Of course we will Father, what kind of no-goodery could we possibly get into?"

Hermione just looked down at her plate, knowing she expected to get into a fair amount of no-good over the next few years. "I will strive to surpass the expectations Father" she said in a quiet voice.

He folded up his newspaper and rose from the table. "I will see you at dinner. Stay at the manor today Evan, perhaps give your sister the tour." he said, before leaving the room.

Evan smiled at Hermione before digging into his food. "I know Father seems a bit imposing and restrictive, but he's a real softie underneath. I'm sorry if I was rude last night, it was a bit of a shock to learn that I had a sister, and one who was conceived after I was, but I've thought it over and I'm glad to have a sibling. It's a big house and I'm usually here alone. Of course, I've got mates that come over, or I go to theirs, and Hogwarts is only a month away, but this is much better" he said quickly. He smiled at her, and Hermione couldn't help smiling back. Most only children want siblings, and Hermione was no exception. Harry was her surrogate brother in the old time, but she was glad that she would have something a little more "real" in this time. Or, as real as it could be considering she faked her way into the family.

Evan finished up his food quickly and stood, holding a hand out to Hermione. "Let's get this tour on the road." he said, smiling at her.

He quickly showed her the ground floor, moving through the various public spaces, ending in the library. "Father's study is through there" he pointed to a door on the far wall, "we're not allowed in there, but the rest of the library is great."

Hermione looked around the room. It wasn't massive, but well-stocked, shelves filled from floor to ceiling with enough books to last her a lifetime of reading. She couldn't help but grinning broadly, running her hands along the spines of the books on the nearest shelf. "It's beautiful."

Evan rolled his eyes. "Of course you would be a bookworm. Was it too much to ask for a sister who was quidditch mad?"

Hermione snorted. "I don't even fly Evan. Sorry."

He grimaced. "Well, let's keep moving. Still got to show you the second floor."

They walked up a set of stairs to the second floor, or the family floor, as Evan referred to it. This was where their rooms were, and a few guest suites. Evan advised her that they did not frequently have overnight guests, but a few friends have been known to over indulge at dinner and need to sleep it off.

Overall Hermione was impressed with how kind Evan was to her. She'd honestly expected him to be evil considering his chosen profession, but maybe she could change that. After all she didn't know much about the Rosiers personal reasons for becoming Death Eaters, only that they would.

The sudden sound of swearing came from behind Evan's bedroom door, and Hermione spun and whipped out her wand. She blew the door open, stunned, and bound the person inside before Evan could do anything.

She looked over to him, eyes wide, only to watch him dissolve into laughter. Confused she looked back at the person shed stunned. He looked to be about their size, wearing robes that had fallen to partially obscure his face. All she could see was his dark black hair.

She slapped her brother on the arm to get him to stop laughing. "Will you stop and tell me who that is?" She hisses.

Evan wiped his eyes. "Oh sister what a gem you are turning out to be. You just hexed the heir to the most ancient and noble house of Black."

Hermione turned back to the lump of robes on the floor. "I'm so sorry. I thought that he was an intruder because I knew we were here alone."

"He must have come through the floo. His mum is a right terror, he's always looking for someone to bother to get out of the house. Usually he owls first, they must have had a fight" he ran his hand through his hair. "Think you can put him to rights?"

Hermione nodded and cast the counterspells. Sirius sat up slowly and looked around, his eyes darkening when they landed on Hermione.

"Who do you think you are cursing people just minding their own business?" He demanded, standing up and stalking over to her.

Hermione pulled her wand back out of her pocket, but found herself looking at Evan's back.

"It was an accident Sirius, and I'd appreciate it if you'd back off my sister."

Sirius laughed "Sister? Hah. I've been coming here since we were in nappies mate, think I'd know if you got a sister."

Evan snorted before giving a condensed version of her story. Sirius listened, and at the end just sat in the sitting area of the room.

"So there's a new Rosier. Is this a secret or?" He trailed off.

"Father is at Gringotts and the Ministry, legitimizing her right now." Evan responded.

Hermione looked up at that. "He's what?"

"Making sure your an official Rosier in every way. If he kicks it tomorrow we've got to split everything now." Evan frowned. "Come to think of it, maybe siblings aren't that great."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him, giving her a minute to absorb the news. This was a big change to the past. There was never a Rosier daughter in the records she read through. Though it would certainly help her mission she wondered, not for the first time, if this was the best way to do it.

"Too late now" she thought to herself and turned back to the boys in the room.

Sirius was standing up, and brushing off his robes. "Well I suppose your busy then Evan, I'll come back another day." He paused, then "if it's not a secret I'm going to tell my father about your new sister. Bringing home news is a sure fire way to get back in their good graces."

Evan nodded. "Sure mate. Well see you around." He waited until Sirius went through the floor before turning and whistling at Hermione.

"And Father thought you were uneducated. You just laid Sirius out like it was nothing!"


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the summer flew by, much faster than Hermione could believe. She spent every morning with her brother Evan, learning about him and his life before she arrived. The afternoons were dedicated to reading in the library, the Rosier family library had a few books on dark magic she'd never seen in the future, perhaps when Evan was arrested after the first war they were confiscated, lost to whatever bureaucracy the ministry deemed appropriate. In the evenings, after dinner, she sat with her father and talked to him about whatever he had done that day, sometimes engaging in spirited debates on various types of magic.

She was not allowed to leave the manor. To be fair, she did not know anyone at this time yet, so she did not have much incentive to leave in the first place. That, and the fact that there were no more visitors after Sirius did make Hermione a little nervous. She felt almost like a prisoner, or as much as someone sleeping on silk sheets could feel like one. She kept her wand on her at all times, waiting for Edward to burst in, calling her a liar, and dragging her to Voldemort.

She knew that he was meeting with Him. Some nights he would suddenly be unable to spend the time after dinner with her, or he would floo home in the middle of the night, whispering for Tessie to prepare his bath before sweeping past her room into his own. The next morning he was always silent through breakfast, only breaking it to remind them to stay in the manor before leaving for the ministry.

The days had passed like this, until the last week of August, when her father looked up from his breakfast at the two children. "We must go to Diagon Alley for your school supplies today" he said.

Hermione nodded, half assuming she would be told to stay behind while he took just Evan, but he pointed to them both saying "I expect you both to be on your best behavior, befitting the family."

Evan smirked. "Aren't I always well behaved Father?"

Edward snorted, "When it suits you."

"At least you don't have to worry about me cursing people before saying hello" he said, eyeing Hermione.

She blushed. "I told you, I thought he was an intruder, I didn't mean to hurt your friend".

"Leave her alone Evan. It would be nice if you could show some proficiency in dueling. At least if were attacked I know I won't have to hover over Hermione." Edward said, frowning at his son.

"Is-is that a concern?" Hermione asked, thinking how she hadn't been allowed out of the house all summer. "Is there someone attacking people here?"

Edward looked at her. "No," he said slowly, "I don't believe you have any need to worry. But I am glad to know you are able to act quickly in dangerous situations." He paused. "It would relieve me if you did not seek out trouble though. Hogwarts is very far from home, and I do not want to see you hurt or worse now that you're in my life."

Hermione blinked. That almost sounded like affection.

The trip to Diagon Alley turned out to be much more enjoyable than she thought it would be. Hermione and Evan got all their supplies rather quickly, and even managed to wheedle some ice cream out of their father. After, Edward told them he needed to visit a colleague for a moment, and would they mind waiting for a few moments inside the bookstore. Evan groaned, but Hermione squealed, dragging her brother in Flourish and Blotts.

They hadn't been browsing long when Evan muttered "Oh great" under his breath, and a tall blonde model stopped in front of them. Hermione blinked and realized she knew the model, or at least she knew the man he would become.

"Evan, you must introduce me to your enchanting friend" Lucius Malfoy said, staring at her.

"Lucius Malfoy, this is my sister" He ground out, "Hermione Rosier."

Lucius blinked for several moments before recovering. "Ah, yes I had heard from, well never mind who, but I thought it wasn't true." He turned from Hermione's face to Evan's, standing a little straighter and smirking at the scowl on his face. "How has your visit to Diagon Alley been Miss Rosier?"

Hermione smiled, "It's been lovely. I was hoping to cap it off by finding Tuffoot's treatise on elemental warding, but so far I've been out of luck."

"Miss Rosier you are quite in luck, for you've run into me, a person who has Tuffoot's treatise sitting on a bookshelf at home. If you would like, I will owl it to you later."

She smiled, "Oh that would be wonderful, thank you so much Mr. Malfoy."

Lucuis pulled a face. "Please, call me Lucuis, Mr. Malfoy makes me feel like an old man."

Hermione smiled wider, "Then call me Hermione. I look forward to your owl Lucius." At this, she saw her Father striding up the street toward the book shop. "Look Evan, I see Father, let's meet him." She grabbed Evan's sleeve before he could pull out his wand on Malfoy, who he obviously did not like. She turned once again to the blonde next to them. "I will see you at Hogwarts I'm sure. Until then." She waved and pulled her brother behind her to the door.

"Until then" he responded and waved.

The week finished with Hermione cramming as much extra curricular reading in as she could. Evan had obtained permission to spend time at the Black home, and so she was alone for most of the day, until her Father arrived for dinner. She wondered sometime how she had never heard about the friendship between Evan and Sirius, but supposed that it would fizzle out before they reached graduation, as teen friendships frequently do. Perhaps it was Evan's succumbing to Voldemort that finally pushed Sirius away, and if so, did that mean her plan to become a spy would keep the Marauders from befriending her? She sighed. Probably.

The trip on the Hogwarts express was like the many she had taken before. She sat in a cabin with her brother, and settled in to her seat to read a book. Shortly after the train departed the station, Evan stood up.

"I'm going to look for a few of my friends. Stay here and I'll be back in a while." He said.

Hermione nodded, never taking her eyes off her book. The door to the compartment opened again, and she, assuming it was Evan, said "Back so soon? Missed me?"

The smile on her face faltered as she finally looked up and realized that it was not Evan who had walked in, but Sirius, accompanied by who she assumed was Remus Lupin and James Potter.

Sirius smirked at her. "I did miss you. And I believe you at least owe me a seat, as all the others are full."

"Every other compartment is full? The whole train is packed to the brim? Somehow I doubt that very much." She retorted.

Remus smiled. "Too smart for you Sirius. Guess we'll have to go share with someone else."

Hermione looked at him, her eyes softening. "No, you can sit in here. My brother will need his seat left open though." She said, indicating the one to the left of her. Remus sat further down on her side, while James and Sirius took the ones opposite.

"So, a long lost Rosier," James began before Sirius elbowed him in the side.

"She probably doesn't want to talk about it" he hissed.

Hermione shook her head. "No it's alright. Yes I am 'a long lost Rosier'. My mum died, I came to live with my father. The end" she said shrugging. "It's not as interesting as it sounds."

"Will you be sorted with the first years?" Remus asked.

Hermione thought back to the letter her father had received from Professor Dumbledore accepting her to Hogwarts for her fourth year. "The professor said they would sort me after the first years were finished."

"Any idea which house you'll be in?" he asked.

"Apparently Rosiers are almost always in Slytherin." she responded. Honestly she hoped she would be in Slytherin, it would certainly make it easier to get close to her targets.

At the look of horror on the boys faces she grimaced. "Don't tell me you boys believe all Slytherins are evil and that you can't be friends with someone because of where they sleep at night?" she said.

Remus laughed. "You know, that is true. Whichever your house I am sure we can be friends."

"Speak for yourself mate" James said, with Sirius nodding fervently beside him.

Hermione frowned. "If that's the way you feel, you can just march right on out here." she said, pointing to the door.

It was at that moment Evan made his return, with a pale, dark haired boy behind him, peering at her strangely.

"What are you lot doing in here bothering my sister for?" He demanded. The boy behind him straightened up a little, and she saw him casually reach into his robes, presumably for his wand.

Sirius swore under his breath. "Just introducing ourselves to the new girl mate. We'll head out now." He said, standing up.

"Don't worry, we'll get her back later" she heard James mutter, and was shocked. She had trusted them because of who she knew they grew up to be. She suddenly had a flash of the memory Harry had told her about, of Snape upside down on the grounds, while James and Sirius laughed at him, and Remus did nothing. They hadn't come here to chat, they had come for revenge, for her getting one over on Sirius. She watched as they filed out, and vowed to never underestimate them again.

Evan sat down and tossed his hair back. "Hermione, this is one of my friends, Severus Snape." he indicated the boy who had sat down across from them. "He's in Slytherin, and an insufferable swot just like you."

Severus rolled his eyes. "It's a wonder you are able to flounder through your classes at all Evan. One would think you hated books."

"I don't hate books. I love to pursue new knowledge. Just don't see the point in it consuming my life, like it has apparently done for the two of you." he said, with a snort.

The rest of the ride passed quickly, with Hermione and Severus discussing their most recent reads, and Evan interjecting with his own jokes and comments.

Once in the castle, she moved to the side to stand with the first years waiting entrance to the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall looked at her.

"Hermione Rosier?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am." Hermione responded.

McGonagall nodded, and directed her to the back of the line. "After I finish the first years, it will be your turn. Until then, be quiet."

Hermione gulped and nodded. She had forgotten how intimidating the older witch could be. After they were led in, while she waited, Hermione looked around the hall. She recognized a few faces from the future, a few others from pictures, but many she couldn't place at all.

She started when she heard her name called and realized it was finally her turn. She walked forward to the stool and sat down.

"Hmm." she heard the hat say inside her head. "I'm seeing plenty of knowledge and courage. A fair bit of loyalty too. But most of all a thirst, to prove. Better be SLYTHERIN" it yelled the last for the hall to hear. Hermione hopped off the stool and walked to the table furthest from the one she had sat at for 6 years. She sat between Evan and Severus, the only people at the table that she knew, and tucked in to her meal.

A sudden movement in front of her caused her to look up, only to find that Lucius had moved to sit across from her and Severus.

"Severus. Evan" he nodded to the boys. "Hermione." He smiled at her. "We are so pleased you have been sorted into our illustrious house."

She heard Severus snort next to her. "I am pleased as well. My father has told me such lovely stories about his time in our house." He had, of course, done no such thing. Only telling her that he was a Slytherin and that it was a respectable house. She knew that his memories of Hogwarts would have been tainted by living with Tom Riddle, and that he was unlikely to have enjoyed the time.

"Well I am the seventh year prefect, and if you need anything I would be honored to assist you." Lucius went on, that charming smile still in place.

"If she needs anything she can come to me" cut in a girl down the table. "I'm her year prefect. Leave her alone Malfoy."

Hermione looked at the girl, and then back at Lucius. The smile he had slipped a little, before he turned to her again, pasting it firmly back on. He winked at her, and began to eat his meal.

Hermione, had no idea what was going on, but assumed it was some sort of Slytherin machination that she had fallen into. She turned to Severus who was searching her face with wary eyes.

"Do you know Lucius well?" he asked quietly.

Hermione shook her head. "We've only met one time. In Diagon Alley."

Severus nodded slowly. "He seems to have taken an interest in you," he said.

"I do not know why. I'm nothing special" she muttered, wondering if this would help or hinder her plan.

She walked to the dormitory with Severus, having escaped from Lucius' side in the after dinner crowd. He showed her the way, pointing out various landmarks and points of interest along the way so she would be able to navigate on her own if needed.

Once inside, she bade him goodnight and made her way to her dormitory, sitting on the bed with her belongings beside it. She only saw one other bed made up, and didn't have to wait long before the girl from dinner walked in.

"Sorry about that at dinner." she said. "I'm Lucinda Talkalot."

"Hermione Rosier. Are we the only girls in our year?"

"Yes. It's been just me until now, but it might be nice to have a roommate." Lucinda responded.

The first month of school flew by, with Hermione trying to acclimate to Hogwarts life. She quickly ascertained that the curriculum wouldn't change too much in the next few decades, so she was easily maintaining her spot as the smartest girl in Hogwarts. She spent her spare time reading, improving her occlumency shields, and talking with her brother and Severus.

She was pleasantly surprised to find he was such a good conversationalist. Before she came to the past, she had enjoyed the academic discussions she had with him, but found that being the same age opened him up much more. They argued theory and discussed spell creation, potion modifications, and whatever they could think up. It was far more stimulating than the quidditch talk Evan spent most of his time discussing with his other friends.

She avoided most other students, but as October waned, she knew that she needed to begin the portion of her plan that involved befriending Death Eaters. She decided to try the low hanging fruit, and stopped attempting to avoid Lucius. He seemed a little surprised to see her sitting in the common room, reading after class one day, but quickly schooled it.

"Hello Hermione." he said, sitting in a chair across from her. "How are your classes?"

Hermione smiled. "Quite well. I'm looking forward to advancing to less basic material this month." she said.

"I'm sure. All I've heard from your classmates is that you are intelligent." he said.

"Why Lucius. Have you been asking about me?" she asked, smirking.

He rubbed the back of his neck, before leaning back in his seat, and looked at her. The smile on his face was gone. "Hermione, I-".

But they were interrupted by Evan walking over to them. "Lucius." he said, nodding to the older boy. "Hermione, come sit over here. Severus is talking my ear off and I can't concentrate on my essay. I need you to come listen to his idea about poopers or whatever-"

"ITS POTIONS EVAN!" Severus bellowed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "In one moment Evan, Lucius and I were discussing something." she answered.

"Discussing what?" Evan asked, suspicion in his eyes.

"Why I was just asking Ms. Rosier if she would accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend." Lucius cut in smoothly. Evan's face turned red.

Hermione turned back to him, mouth agape. "Um, yes. He was. And I accept. I will meet you in the Entrance Hall on Saturday morning Lucius. Until then." She got up to join Severus, ignoring the look on Evan's face, and wondering all the while what Lucius's reasoning was, and what had he started to say before Evan came over.

"Hermione thank god I won't have to discuss this with your brother anymore. He's far too distracted to give me any real debate. Hermione? What's wrong?" Severus asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

Evan stomped over and grabbed Hermione's arm. "You can't go to Hogsmeade with him Hermione."

Severus looked at her. "With who?"

"Lucius sodding Malfoy." Evan ground out.

Hermione missed the look of dismay on Severus's face. "You can't tell me what I can and can't do Evan. You are not my Father."

"He's a philanderer Hermione. I won't let your reputation be destroyed."

"My reputation?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Father won't be able to negotiate a decent contract if you've slagged off with Malfoy." he said cooly.

Hermione let out an inarticulate shriek before stomping upstairs to her room. Evan turned to Severus, his eyes wide. "What did I say?"

"Probably the assumption that Hermione would be a slag. Or that she wants a contract negotiated on her behalf. Or both. Hermione strikes me as a new age woman." Severus responded. "Give her time, she'll come around."

It turned out, though, that Hermione Rosier could hold quite the grudge. Which was why she was hiding from her brother in a study room in the back of the library on Friday night, instead of enjoying the start of the weekend in the common room with the rest of her house.

A noise in the doorway caused her to look up from her parchment, to find Remus Lupin standing there.

"Sorry for disturbing you, this room is usually empty on Fridays" he said, turning to leave. He looked pale and tired. Hermione quickly remembered the full moon had just passed. She gestured to the chair in front of her.

"Please sit down." She said, "As long as you're not here to finish whatever prank you three tried to start on the train, I can share the space."

Remus blanched. "You knew about that?"

"I suspected." She answered. "You just confirmed it." She pulled out a small box of Honeydukes chocolate from her bag and set it on the table between them.

Remus's eyes narrowed. "Is that payback then. I'm not that stupid." he said, looking at the chocolate.

Hermione laughed. "Oh no, my father sent me these when he heard I was fighting with Evan. I think he thinks it's a hormonal problem, and not that my brother is a prat. I have heard you had a sweet tooth and thought I'd offer. You look like you could use it."

Remus frowned. "Why are you fighting with your brother?"

"Like I said. He's a prat." She shrugged at his questioning look. "He thinks I need to lay up in my ivory tower until father marries me off to the highest bidder."

"And-uh, you don't want that?" he asked.

"Which part? Both are infuriating ideas. I'm my own woman, and intend to marry for love. Obviously Evan doesn't yet understand that. Also, if I wanted to shag Lucius in the Great Hall it's my own business and he can just sod off." She fumed.

Remus blushed. "He, he saw you in an intimate position with Malfoy then?"

"Oh god no." Hermione exclaimed, and Remus let out a breath. "Lucius just asked me to Hogsmeade and Evan had a fit."

Remus choked on the chocolate bit in his mouth. "You're going to Hogsmeade with Malfoy?"

Hermione looked at him, "Yes, is that a problem?"

Remus remembered watching her read quite a few books on curses. "No, none at all" he said.

Hermione nodded. "Good. Now, tell me your thoughts on the current approach to dark creature regulation in Britain."

Remus gave her a sharp look, but Hermione just grinned beautifically and leaned forward.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning saw Hermione dressing as carefully as she could. She knew that she had no romantic interest in Lucius, and she was fairly certain he felt the same. When he left Hogwarts next June he would begin to petition for Narcissa Black, and she had no desire to interfere with that whatsoever. But she still needed to look as a decent pureblood girl should look on a date to Hogsmeade. She finally settled on one of the dresses her father had made for her, and the robe that accompanied it.

Lucius was waiting for her in the common room, dressed as impeccably as she was, leaning against the wall near the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Hermione" he said smiling as she walked up to him.

"Good Morning Lucius" she said, ignoring the daggers in the glare from her brother across the hall. "Shall we?"

They walked down to the village together, discussing the weather, their classes, and the delightful new peacocks his family had acquired recently.

"Quite beautiful. When you visit the manor, I will take you to see them." Lucius told her with a smile.

"When I visit? Quite presumptuous Lucius." she said, nudging his arm with her shoulder.

He smirked, and held the door open to the bookshop. The next few hours passed pleasantly, shopping for their various wants and needs, before setting back for the school. Hermione was surprised to find herself enjoying her time with Lucius. There was no hint of the man who would stand by impassively as she was tortured on his drawing room floor. Instead, she found him sweet, as he held doors for her, and insisted upon carrying her purchases for her. Once on the path back to Hogwarts, with a little distance from the village behind them, Hermione turned to Lucius, and cast a silent muffliato around them.

"Lucius," she began slowly. "What were you going to say to me the other night? Before Evan interrupted us?' she asked.

He was quiet for a moment, then "Hermione, you must be careful. I have grown to enjoy your company, and I do not wish to see you hurt."

She looked at him confused. "Do you mean the prank those marauders want to pull on me? I already know about that Lucius, I have it handled." she waved her hand dismissively and began walking again.

Lucius grabbed her hand, stopping her. "You asked me before if I was asking around about you. I was. But not for my own benefit. There are other parties interested in the beautiful and intelligent Rosier girl." he finished in a whisper. "Other parties who would not take your disinterest lightly."

Hermione's eyes widened. Was it possible she had already caught the eye of Lord Voldemort? She had only been in the past a few months, and had been hidden in Rosier Manor for much of it.

"But why? I'm nothing special." she responded, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

"The reports he has received from within Hogwarts indicate otherwise. He has heard time and again of your intellect." Lucius responded, looking down at the ground. His reports probably, she thought. "And your father-"

"What about my father?" she demanded.

"He is displeased that he has not introduced Evan, and now I assume, you."

Hermione nodded, then looked at Lucius again.

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I don't want to see you hurt Hermione. I- I didn't want you to be blindsided by everything that may come.."

"Lucius, do you like me?" she asked, astonishment in her voice.

He blushed. "I would not be adverse to our fathers discussing a contract," he said, looking away from her face.

Hermione laughed, before realizing that it could be construed as hurtful. She quickly stopped. "Lucius, I'm sorry, but I do not feel the same way. You are smart and gorgeous, but I would not be a good wife to you. I am as headstrong as you are, we would fight constantly." she reached up to cup his cheek with her hand, "but I would like to be a friend. A good friend. Now please take me back to the common so I may think upon what you've told me."

He nodded, and took her arm in his, leading her back to the castle. Neither noticed the black haired boy on the path, his eyes narrowed from the intimate moment he had stumbled upon. He would write to Father and ask what he should do. He only just got this sister, he wouldn't be shoved off for some ponce like Malfoy.

A stick broke on the path behind him, causing Evan to spin around.

"What's she doing with that tosser?" Sirius asked, nodding his head to indicate Malfoy.

"I don't know" Evan growled.

"Want to get him back for taking your sister out?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"I knew we were friends for some reason." Evan said drily.

Father, it turned out, was also not thrilled with the Hermione/Malfoy situation, but he advised Evan to keep quiet. He suspected that forbidding her from a relationship might push her further into it. Hermione had no such inclinations, but her continued associations with Lucius were seen by the rest of the school as a burgeoning romance. They frequently took their meals together, and could be found on walks around the Lake. Hermione took these opportunities as a way to cement a friendship with Malfoy, who she knew would eventually become Voldemort's right hand man. With Evan not talking to her, and Severus's oddly strained look whenever she tried to talk to him, Hermione found herself in the study room more often than not. And many nights saw Remus dropping in to visit with her.

She found this friendship much less mind boggling than her others. When she was with Lucius, sometimes she would have to mentally move through the hoops of; "hes not a marked death eater yet" and "he hasn't cursed me yet" and sometimes "he's only 17 right now, I shouldn't panic when I see him walking towards me". Eventually though, even these reassurances became background noise in their friendship and she was able to separate this man she enjoyed spending time with, and the man who gave her nightmares. Remus, though, had only ever been kind to her; first as a teacher, and later as a colleague in the Order. This made it very easy to spend time with him to discuss school work, and her theories about various esoteric aspects of the magical world.

A few nights before they left for home to enjoy Christmas saw her sitting in her usual library room reading. Severus swept in quickly, his wand out, eyes wild.

"Hermione." he gasped. "You're ok!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Of course I'm ok Severus. Whatever is the matter with you?"

"Do you know what he is? What you spend your evenings alone with?" he demanded.

"I certainly hope you're not talking about Remus." she said, her eyes narrowing.

"I am talking about Remus." he hissed. "About his great, mysterious, fucking illness."

"You stop right there Severus Snape." she yelled. "Don't you dare. Remus is kind, gentle, and has never even tried to hurt me. He sits and talks to me, which is a lot more than you have done recently. He is a danger one night a month, and spends it in incredible pain, sequestered from everyone." She paused, and looked Severus in the eye. "I would trust him with my life."

Severus gave her a hard look. "But he could-"

"No." she cut across. "He could not. Now leave. I don't wish to speak to you about this anymore." She tried to wipe the hot tears away before he could see them.

"Hermione-" he whispered, reaching for her, but she turned away.

A few moments passed, and small noise behind her caused her to turn around again, ready to yell for him to go, but instead she saw Remus, looking at the floor. When he finally looked at her again, his eyes full of pain, she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitantly hugged her back.

"Hermione, I-" he started, "How long have you known?"

"The first full moon after school began. I'm not an idiot Remus, anyone can see the signs. I assume that's how Severus figured it out." She said, wiping away the tears on her face.

Remus nodded, then pulled her in tighter. "Thank you for not saying anything."

"Remus, I would never betray your secret. I meant what I said."

"But still, thank you." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a tissue for her and handed it over. "Since we're being so honest tonight, can you tell me what the devil is going on with you and Malfoy?"

She smiled. "Lucius is just a friend. We both know we'd kill each other within a week if we were dating."

"But then why do you let everyone think you are? I can see it's driving your brother crazy." He asked. confusion in his eyes.

Hermione cast a muffliato on the room. "Lucius is a sort of protection right now. If everyone assumes we are dating, or at least very close, then I am left alone." She hesitated for a moment. "There are those who would ask me to join a cause. One I don't believe in, but my last name makes me more of a target, and a little harder to ignore."

He nodded again. He'd heard some of the rumblings outside Hogwarts of a charismatic man who would sometimes torture and kill to get what he wanted. He shuddered at the idea of his tiny, kind Hermione around him. "If Lucuis can help you then I am for it. Promise me you'll stay away from that man Hermione. That you'll stay safe."

She shook her head sadly. "Oh Remus. If only I could." She took a breath. Remus was safe. Remus would join the Order and teach her how to cast a patronus that could speak, he would hold her when she sobbed at Ron's funeral. "I can't hide from my fate as a member of my family. But I'm going to try like hell to stop him." She looked up at him, determination bright in her eyes.

A vision of a blood soaked Hermione on the ground, surrounded by faceless robed men, filled his mind and he just looked at her in horror.

Authors Note: I have not abandoned this story. Real life piled up in a way that made it difficult to write over the past year. But my children are no longer infants, I have finished my academic writing intensive degree, and I am ready to finish this. I do not know how long it will be, but probably at least 40,000 words, maybe more. I do intend to jump to Hermione's 7th year soon, as not much goes on between then, other than making friends, doing homework, and training. Thank you for following this story, I love getting follower/favorite emails, and reviews are very much appreciated. Thank you, thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione shook her robes out, and cleared her mind, before leaning towards the stone gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office and whispering the password she had heard him say while spying last stairwell rolled into view, and she climbed the stairs one at a time, using each one to ground herself further and further, locking away all the excess memories and knowledge. At the top she knocked smartly and waited.

"Come in Ms. Rosier" she heard from behind the door.

The room would undergo some changes, she thought to herself, but was mostly the same. She sat down in the chair the headmaster gestured to and waited.

"To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure, my dear?" he asked, his eyes almost steeling themselves against their normal twinkle.

"I am here to put myself at your leisure" Hermione said.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore demanded.

She shook her head and laughed. "Oh I should have thought of a better phrasing. I am here to offer my assistance in whatever way is possible or necessary."

"I appreciate your desire to excel Ms. Rosier, but I am in no need of an assistant. Perhaps you may find yourself a prefect next year and will then-'' but he was cut off by Hermione's raised hand.

"You misunderstand professor, I do not wish to ease your administrative duties." she leaned forward, eyes bright. "I intend to win you a war."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "Do you think this a funny prank Ms. Rosier?"

"On the contrary professor, I think this an unfortunate necessity." she began. "Before you call my father, allow me to share with you the story of my life. I was born to two muggle dentists, who loved me very much, but were constantly perplexed by the wondrous things i could do just by thinking of them. Dancing dolls, plates of cookies, whatever I wanted. Then, one day a Professor McGonagall arrived at my home, to tell us that there was a reason. I was a witch, and I could go to Hogwarts. I did, and found myself at home in Gryffindor tower, where I eventually befriended the most amazing boys, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Harry, was most well known for an event that occured when he was a toddler, that Lord Voldemort tried to kill his family, but when he got to the child, the curse rebounded and ended the dark lord's life. There were celebrations and everyone was eternally grateful to the boy who lived. But what the boy didn't know, nor did his headmaster, nor his perverse muggle relatives, nor his muggleborn best friend, was that the dark wizard was not dead. But had survived only to return in our fourth year of school, starting the second wizarding war. People began disappearing or dying, slowly at first, but then steadily. It culminated in a battle at Hogwarts, after the death eaters had taken over both the ministry and the school. Almost the entire Order of the Phoenix perished, but a few of us got out and hid. We hid for 5 years, trying to strike back, and instead found ourselves picked off one by one. You see, we had lost our leader, and he kept most of his information close to his chest, so we only had what he had shared with Harry, and the bits we were able to research or discover by accident. Harry and I had the idea that we could avoid the destruction of 90% of the magical population in Britain, if we could just go back in time and stop it. But a trip like that took time to plan, and craft, and needed an iron clad back story. By the time I left, there were so few left. So few." she said, looking to gaze out the window.

She turned back and almost laughed at the expression on the Headmaster's face. She did not think she had ever seen him so completely dumbfounded before.

"Ms. Rosier" he finally said, "you appear to be ill. Allow me to escort you to the hospital wing."

She snorted. "I figured you would be skeptical. Well I have brought you proof." She reached down into her beaded bag and pulled a small bundle out. "Here are photographs of the Order of the Phoenix taken over time. Here are letters from yourself addressed to various members, detailing the atrocities of the war. Here are newspaper clippings from the various deaths, disappearances, and vandalisms." These she handed over, and then rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, and canceling the concealment charm. "And here is my official brand." she finished cheerfully.

The headmaster looked at her arm, and turned a ghastly shade of green, before quickly looking through the papers she had given him. When he got to the first picture of the order, and then looked at the last, he could see how much terror the people in them had endured. There was hope in the first, and only despair in the end.

"If I may, how have you ingratiated yourself with the Rosiers?" he asked finally, seeming to accept her story.

She shrugged as she rolled her sleeve back down. "That was relatively simple. I forged a blood adoption, I am a Rosier now."

He nodded. No one did them anymore, with all the pureblood mania, but it would work to allow her to pass as a member of the family. "Why have you come to me with all of this?" he finally asked.

Hermione bit her lip, before deciding to just be honest. "You were in charge before, I assume you will be in charge again. I know I've already changed things, but I can't have changed them so much that you would not rally a force to fight against a megalomaniac intent on murdering all muggleborns and torturing muggles."

Dumbledore nodded. "I would. I am. I assume you have a plan then?"

"Yes, it's still not as detailed a plan as I would like, but the general idea is to infiltrate the Death Eaters, thereby gaining Voldemort's trust, and then using my close position and access to information to destroy him from the inside out."

Dumbledore stared at her for another moment, opened his mouth, then closed it.

"It is difficult, I imagine, for you to hear about how terrible the future may be. I am hoping that my presence will mitigate some of the worst atrocities and losses. I appear young, I am a woman of a pureblood family. No one will suspect that I may be up to more nefarious plots than how to get the best match for my hand," she said. "I can get information that no one else would be able to, and I can get that information to you."

Dumbledore just nodded. For what else could he say?


End file.
